Should e-cigarettes be banned from public places?

There was a feature on this on the BBC just now. Currently it's legal though some places do have their own individual rules against it. I'd have to agree that they should be banned from public places. It's an addiction and by having them on display in public it makes that addiction 'acceptable' when it could easily influence others to take it up, not only that but it could lead onto a lot of people taking up normal smoking as well.

That's not all though. At work we sometimes get a few people [members of the public] walking around smoking e-cigarettes. However, sometimes people take advantage of this and occasionally members of the public have been smoking regular cigarettes indoors and are told to promptly leave. That means that for every person with an e-cig they have to be checked to see that it's actually am e-cig they're smoking and not a real one.

So what are your thoughts? Obviously e-cigarettes harm the health of no-one, but they could lead other people to smoking regular cigarettes and people flouting the rules in other public places, as well as encouraging others to take on unnecessary addictions.

By the way, I smoked for nine years so I'm the worst kind of critic [a reformed smoker]!

We should also ban drinking coffee as it's also an addition. WILL NO ONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?

Seriously though, I don't think they should be banned people just need to get over it already.

Are you going to ban alcohol in public too? That's a damaging addiction and it's not difficult to tell the difference between an e cig and a real one, if I can do it in a dark sweaty beer covered night club with little issue then it should be pretty easy elsewhere.

Should be allowed in pubs/clubs at landlords/owners discretion and discouraged from workplace/retail outlets. Most if not all e-cig users would abide by this anyway.

I don't smoke anything anymore but have no problem with people that do.

Rainagul said:

We should also ban drinking coffee as it's also an addition. WILL NO ONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?

Seriously though, I don't think they should be banned people just need to get over it already.

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tom_e said:

Are you going to ban alcohol in public too? That's a damaging addiction and it's not difficult to tell the difference between an e cig and a real one, if I can do it in a dark sweaty beer covered night club with little issue then it should be pretty easy elsewhere.

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What, so everyone who drinks alcohol is addicted to it? People who go to pubs and bars are generally not alcoholics. Whereas most people [99% I would imagine] who smoke are addicted.

I don't see a problem. Ciggies were banned in work places due to heath concerns regarding second hand smoke, ecigs have no such problems so why ban them?

As regards seeing people using them making it "acceptable".... to who exactly? I dislike kids running about and screaming and so should they be banned from public places too?... I mean seeing kids makes it "acceptable" to spawn more snotty cretinous brats

What about coffee? I hate the stuff and I am annoyed by the fact that coffee addicts can swan about drinking the hideous stuff close to me with no regard for my feelings!!! ( im being serious the smell of coffee makes me retch )

tom_e said:

Are you going to ban alcohol in public too?

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This its hard to tell the diffrence between vodka and water.

I don't think they should be banned at all. much better alternative to a regular cigarette!

Fair enough if people have their own rules in their buildings etc... but having a general ban on them would just force more people to smoke regular cigarettes.

This topic wont end well and will end up in arguments.

We have had similar threads before.

Honestly it should be up to the business whether they are allowed on there property.

In essense though a E-cig or vaporizer is not a ciggerete it does not cause negative health effects via passive smoking and cannot be classed as a ciggerete and harmfull to others.

Banning something that helps people to quit and is a SAFER keyword SAFER alternative is stupid.

Making an alternative to the guarenteed death inducing ciggerete illiegal in public places is beyond stupid.

It cannot be classed as smoking therefore it cannot be regulated as such.

Either way im always open to suggestion.

AtreuS said:

I dislike kids running about and screaming and so should they be banned from public places too?

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Absolutely!

I've never really understood this, but are they dangerous? (aside from getting you addicted to nicotine, which could lead you to smoking)

If they're safe, then I don't see why they should be banned.


I heard today, that the big tobacco companies are lobbying the government to impose strict regulations on e-cigs, as it would force the small e-cig companies out of business. Could this be a side-effect?

Lysander said:

What, so everyone who drinks alcohol is addicted to it? People who go to pubs and bars are generally not alcoholics. Whereas most people [99% I would imagine] who smoke are addicted.

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Not everyone who uses e cigs uses nicotine containing liquid, therefore it's not an addiction either if we're looking at it like that.
Also if we're doing it based on the fact it's an addiction we better ban coffee and red bull while we're at it, almost everyone in my office is a zombie until they chug down their morning coffee but that's not forced me into starting to drink the muck.

I don' think they should be banned. We banned cigs due to the smoke. No smoke, no problem.

I'm an eCig user and won't vape in any public places as I can't be arsed explaining myself, although you could never confuse my mods with an actual cig (maybe a crack pipe.).

Lysander said:

Obviously e-cigarettes harm the health of no-one, but they could lead other people to smoking regular cigarettes

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Seriously?! Vaping is nothing like smoking, the worst thing ever was calling them a eCig as it's so far from smoking its untrue.

Aslong as its not causing second hand health concerns or undesirable odours I don't really see its anyone's business and can't see the problem with it. (I don't smoke or use ecigs myself).

It was on early this morning too. I think i'm right in saying that there was also some chap on from the BMA and he said one (or maybe the only, it was early!) big concern is that it 'glamourises' smoking.

Is that the biggest concern? - Really?, come on now...

I use an e-cig and have done for a while. I still get the same effects but without all the nasties in a regular cigarette.

No, it doesn't inconvenience you and it stops people from smoking real cigarettes.
It's presenting the first effective NRT solution in years and will save the lives of thousands of people.

Now shut up and go away "I don't like the look of it" or "It's still an addiction" is irrelevant when it's saving lives, most people can't just give up cold turkey or just straight up don't want to give up, ecigarettes present a healthier alternative.

Lysander said:

What, so everyone who drinks alcohol is addicted to it? People who go to pubs and bars are generally not alcoholics. Whereas most people [99% I would imagine] who smoke are addicted.

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Depends what you class as addicted, you could also have a sweeping comment such as "Most people who drink in pubs or clubs also smoke when drinking, so that should be banned as well".

Lysander said:

What, so everyone who drinks alcohol is addicted to it? People who go to pubs and bars are generally not alcoholics. Whereas most people [99% I would imagine] who smoke are addicted.

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No... Just no....

For a smoker of 9 years are you seriously ignorant enough to believe that statement?

Not everyone that smokes is addicted much the same as not everyone that drinks is addicted. The percentage of people of addicted smokers is probably higher, but the fact remains.

No.